Water-power motor or engine.



PATBNTED MAY 10, 1904.

T. E. FRIKE. WATER POWER MOTOR OR ENGIHE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. FRIKE, OF OOATSBURG, ILLINOIS.

WATER-POWER MOTOR OR ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,604, dated May 10, 1904:.

Application filed eptember 21, 1903. Serial No. 174,132. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. FRIKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goatsburg, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Water- Power or Wave-Motion Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement or invention relates to improvement in awater-power motor or engine, in which 1 use the power of the waves of the ocean, lake, or river working upon a paddle or float that is connected with certain levers and wheels that receive their power and motion from the paddle or float as it rides upon the waves, the mechanism and objects of said machine, engine, or motor being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specification, as follows:

A represents the body or frame that supports the motive part of the engine or motor, said body or frame to be built of wood, iron, or rock, the said body or frame A to be set stationary above the water-surface upon a solid foundation built to receive it, said foundation to be built up from a solid footing at the bottom of the ocean, lake, or river the same as a pier or a foundation for a bridge or any other structure built out in the water for a support, this foundation being of sufficient height to reach up above the surface of the water-level, so that the body or frame A when placed in position and made stationary to it will be entirely above the water-level, so the machinery or body will not at any time be submerged by water, said foundation to be built sufliciently far out in the water so that the float F when set at the proper angle will reach out and float upon the surface of the waves.

B and O represent two master-wheels, the outside rims of which are supplied with cogs to match and mesh with one another, being set in the proper position to do so. The inside of the rims of said wheels are supplied with slanting teeth to engage the dogs M and N, the axles of wheels B and O resting in appropriate borings on either side of the frame or body A.

D represents the small wheel or pinion with cogs on the outside rim to match and mesh with cogs on the outside rim of masterwheel B.

L and K represent the two levers that fit loosely around either axle of master-wheelsB and O and extend in length out beyond their rims, said levers L and K each having a dog M and N attached to them, so as to work and engage the ratchet-teeth on the inside of the rims of master-wheels B and C, said ratchets or dogs playing loosely over the teeth of wheels B and O with the downward motion of the levers L and K; but upon the least motion upward of the levers L and K they immediately catch the teeth on the inside of the rims of wheels B and O, thereby causing the wheels B and O to revolve, and thus v while the lever K and dog N are engaged in turning the wheel O the dog M on the opposite lever L of wheel B is loosely playing downward, while the master-wheel B is revolving at the same time, caused by the motion imparted to it by the cogs of wheel O working into its outer rim, and (vice versa) when the lever L and dog M are engaged in turning the wheel B the dog N on lever K is also loosely playing downward on the teeth on the inside rim of master-wheel O, and thus it may be seen that either lever and dog that is working causes the master-wheel B to revolve in the same direction, imparting a steady oneway motion to the master-wheel B and pinion D, causing the pulley E on the axle of the pinion D to run with a steady oneway m0;

tion, as there is no intervening time, for as soon as one lever and dog quits its work the other lever and dog immediately commences its work. On the axle of the pinion 1) may be placed a pulley, as E, or a cog or sprocket wheel to cohnect same by belt, cogs, or chain to any kind of machinery a person may desire to run by the power from this wavemotion engine.

G represents a walking-beam of appropriate size and strength and in length reaching as far as the extreme points of the levers L and K and is held in position above the two master-wheels B and O by two upright posts land 2, that form part of the framework or body of the machine, said beam G being made fast to an axle Y, said axle Y having round metal pins that work in boring in the two upright posts 1 and 2, the axle or pin P in post 1 extending clear through post 1, said pin or axle P being bent at right angles, forming a pitman or crank and attached to main rod Z of the air-pump J, said air-pump J being attached to post 1 and may be used for pumping or Compressing air as a power, said pitman or crank P receiving its motion from the upward and downward motion of beam G on axle Y.

H represents a beam of same proportions as G in width and thickness and lying parallel and on the top side of beam G and made fast to beam G by a stapled stirrup attachment at X in the center of axle Y of beam G and a clevis R at the right-hand end of beam G. Said lever or beam H is of such length as to extend far out to the right of the body of machine and has substantially attached to it a large float F, made of material such as wood, or air-chamber that will easily float or carry a considerable weight upon the water waves and ride upon the waves as a raft, boat, or barge, said beam H being held in position by the staple-stirrup X and clevis R, attached to beam G, as described, and also two upright posts 3 and 4, attached substantially to the right-hand end of the frame or body A, said beam H fitting in snugly between the two posts 3 and 4, enabling it to play up and down between them. Beam H is supported when at rest by a supporting-rod Q being placed through holes bored to receive it in the two upright posts 3 and 4:, said holes being bored sufliciently high up in the posts 3 and 4 so that when beam H is resting upon rod Q the float F is completely raised above the surface of the water waves.

U represents another beam at the left and solidly attached to beam G and of sufficient length and strength so that the paddle or float F may be raised or lifted by it completely out or above the surface of the water waves by simply pulling down upon the chain or cable V, attached to the extreme end of beam U and securing it to the hook-eye WV on the frame or body of machine, and then by placing the pin Q through the holes in posts 3 and 4c and releasing the chain or cable Vat WV the weight of the paddle or float F and beam H rests upon the pin Q, supported by the posts 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.

I represents a force-pump the piston of which is connected to beam H at O and may be used to pump water from the ocean, lake, or river and force or carry said water to a convenient reservoir in such supply that said water may be used for any purpose, such as releasing it and running it over a water-wheel for power.

By loosening the clevis R the beam H and paddle or float F may be raised and completely laid back over on the left one-half of beam G, the. stirrup at X acting as a hinge for same in case said paddle or float should need repairs or in case of stormy or unmanageable waves.

Now to operate or set this wave-motion engine in motion simply pull down upon the chain or cable V, unhook the same at withdraw the supporting-pin Q in upright posts 3 and4 and the float or paddle F will drop upon the surface of the water, and the float F being a part of beam H and beam H being attached to beam G by a staple-stirrup at X and the clevis at R and held in position by thetwo upright posts 3 and 4, as before mentioned, you will clearly see that the beams H and G and float F can only have the up-and-down motion which it receives from the waves as it rides on the surface of the water as the waves come and raise it. As the waves move on it will drop of its own weight, as the laws of gravitation teach us, and as the paddle or float F rises and falls, it being attached to beam H and beam H being now made secure to beam G by the clevis at R, the two beams G and H will now act as though they were one continuous beam, and as the waves come and go the beam G will move up and down and the two connecting-rods S and T, attached to beam G and connected at the outer ends of levers L and K, will move up and down and the ratchets or dogs N1 and N will in turn engage the teeth on the inside rims of master-wheels B and C, giving them a regular steady motion, which in turn impart their power to the pinion D, to the axle of which is attached the pulley E, the drivingpower of this wave-motion engine. Also the beams G and H, moving up and down, work the rod 5 and crank or pitman P, attached to pump I and air-pump J.

In placing the frame or body A in position on its foundation it will be necessary to raise the left end of said-frame or body A several degrees, and by so doing it will lower the paddle or float F to the proper angle so it will just float on the surface of the waves when thrown in position for work, as you will notice by the drawing that the paddle or float F is situated on the right of frame or body A, and thus it will be seen that by raising the body or frame A at the left a small distance out of level the beam H, being of much greater length than the body/or frame A, will easily lower the paddle or float F to the desired angle.

I am aware that there are now in use many water-wheels, engines, and motors to supply power for different purposes; but all of them are dependent upon flowing water or the consumption of a costly amount of fuel to generate steam to get the power to feed electrical motors and machines of other various descriptions.

I do not claim anything novel or new in pulleys, air-pumps, or water-pumps, but make use of them in the drawings and specification of this invention simply to show the manner in which they may be attached to this Waterpower engine or machine.

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A wave-motor comprising a suitable frame or support extendingabove water surt'ace, master-wheels mounted in hearings on said frame having standing teeth within their rims, levers alongside the master-wheels, dogs connected with thelevers to engage the standing teeth, a Walking beam carried by the frame or support, a rising and falling float two subscribing witnesses, at Coatsburg, in

the county of Adams and State of Illinois, this 1st day of August, 1903.

THOMAS E. FRIKE. W'itnesses:

ARTHUR E. GAY, J. E. MOOARTY. 

